NBA expansion vote could bring professional basketball team to Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The NBA is moving closer to bringing a professional basketball team to Las Vegas, with a key vote scheduled for next week.

According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, the league's board of governors will meet March 24-25 to vote on whether to explore adding two new expansion teams — exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle.

WATCH| Alex Eschelman talks to locals about NBA expansion potentially coming to Las Vegas

According to ESPN, both teams are projected to generate some of the most revenue in the league.

But for some Las Vegas locals, the prospect of an NBA team means more than money.

"I've been living in Vegas my whole life, and the closest places are Utah and California, but it would be great to have an NBA team locally to go to without having to drive a few hours," one resident said.

"I think it would bring the Las Vegas basketball community together because we'll all have a team to cheer for in our home city," another said.

UNLV's Runnin' Rebels also weighed in on the possibility.

"I think it's awesome," point guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn said. "My goal one day is to play in the NBA, so if everything worked out the right way, I think it'd be perfect for me."

"I think it's only positive," head coach Josh Pastner said. "The mecca of basketball is right here in Las Vegas. The NCAA was so anti-coming to Vegas, [now] they're having the Final Four here, so it's the sports capital of the world."

Fans also had plenty of opinions on what the team should be called.

"I would say the Las Vegas Vipers or the Las Vegas Smoke," one fan said.

"I think we could be called the Las Vegas Gamblers and the color scheme could be gold and black," another said.

"The Aces got white and gray, so probably like the same thing," a third fan said.

"Maybe they should go with what the Raiders are using," another suggested.

Next week's vote is only the first step in the expansion process. If approved, stakeholders would need to submit bids that meet a certain financial threshold. A second vote later in the year would then determine whether the league expands to 32 teams.

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